Pro.

Dost thou think so, spirit?

Ari. Mine would, sir, were I human.
Pro.

And mine shall.

Hast thou, which art but air, a touch, a feeling
Of their afflictions? and shall not myself,

One of their kind, that relish all as sharply,
Passion as they, be kindlier mov'd than thou art ?
Though with their high wrongs I am struck to the quick,
Yet, with my nobler reason 'gainst my fury

Do I take part: the rarer action is

In virtue than in vengeance: they being penitent,
The sole drift of my purpose doth extend

Not a frown further: Go, release them, Ariel;
My charms I'll break, their senses I'll restore,
And they shall be themselves.

Ari.

I'll fetch them, sir.

Pro. Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes, and groves;
And ye, that on the sands with printless foot
Do chase the ebbing Neptune, and do fly him,
When he comes back; you demi-puppets, that
By moonshine do the green-sour ringlets make,
Whereof the ewe not bites; and you, whose pastime
Is to make midnight-mushrooms; that rejoice
To hear the solemn curfew; by whose aid
(Weak masters though ye be), I have bedimm'd
The noontide sun, call'd forth the mutinous winds,
And 'twixt the green sea and the azur'd vault
Set roaring war: to the dread rattling thunder
Have I given fire, and rifted Jove's stout oak
With his own bolt: the strong-bas'd promontory
Have I made shake; and by the spurs pluck'd up
The pine and cedar graves, at my command,
Have waked their sleepers; oped, and let them forth
By my so potent art: But this rough magic
I here abjure: and, when I have requir'd

Some heavenly music, (which even now I do,)
To work mine end upon their senses, that
This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And, deeper than did ever plummet sound,
I'll drown my book.

[Exit.

[Solemn music

Re-enter ARIEL: after him, ALONZO, with a frantic gesture, attended by Gonzalo; ŠEBASTIAN and ANTONIO in like manner, attended by ADRIAN and FRANCISCO: they all enter the circle which PROSPERO had made, and there stand charmed; which PROSPERO ob serving, speaks.

A solemn air, and the best comforter

To an unsettled fancy, cure thy brains,

Now useless, boil'd within thy skull! There stand,
For you are spell stopp'd.-

Holy Gonzalo, honorable man,

Mine eyes, even sociable to the show of thine,
Fall fellowly drops.-The charm dissolves apace;
And as the morning steals upon the night,
Melting the darkness, so their rising senses
Begin to chase the ignorant fumes that mantle
Their clearer reason.—O my good Gonzalo,
My true preserver, and a loyal sir

To him thou follow'st; I will pay thy graces
Home, both in word and deed.—Most cruelly
Didst thou, Alonzo, use me and my daughter:
Thy brother was a furtherer in the act ;—
Thou'rt pinch'd for't now, Sebastian.—Flesh and blood,
You brother mine, that entertain'd ambition,
Expell'd remorse and nature; who, with Sebastian
(Whose inward pinches therefore are most strong,)
Would have kill'd your king; I do forgive thee,
Unnatural though thou art!-Their understanding
Begins to swell; and the approaching tide
Will shortly fill the reasonable shores,

That now lie foul and muddy. Not one of them,
That yet looks on me, or would know me :—Ariel,
Fetch me the hat and rapier in my cell;

I will dis-case me, and myself present,

As I was sometime Milan :-quickly, spirit;
Thou shalt ere long be free.

ARI.

[Exit ARIEL

ARIEL re-enters, singing, and helps to attire PROSPERO.

Where the bee sucks, there suck I:

In a cowslip's bell I lie;

There I couch when owls do cry.

On the bat's back I do fly,

After summer, merrily :

Merrily, merrily, shall I live now,

Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.

Pro. Why, that's my dainty Ariel: I shall miss thee; But yet thou shalt have freedom: so, so, so.

To the king's ship, invisible as thou art :

There shalt thou find the mariners asleep

Under the hatches; the master, and the boatswain,

Being awake, enforce them to this place;

And presently, I pr'ythee.

Ari. I drink the air before me, and return

Or e'er your pulse twice beat.

Gon. All torment, trouble, wonder, and amazement Inhabits here: Some heavenly power guide us

Out of this fearful country!

[Exit ARIEL

Pro.

Behold, sir king,

The wronged Duke of Milan, Prospero :
For more assurance that a living prince
Does now speak to thee, I embrace thy body;
And to thee, and thy company, I bid

A hearty welcome.

Alon.

Whe'r thou beest he, or no,

Or some enchanted trifle to abuse me,

As late I have been, I not know thy pulse

Beats, as of flesh and blood; and, since I saw thee,
The affliction of my mind amends, with which,

I fear, a madness held me: this must crave

(And if this be at all) a most strange story.
Thy dukedom I resign; and I do entreat

Thou pardon me my wrongs:-But how should Prospero
Be living, and be here ?

Pro.

First, noble friend,

Let me embrace thine age; whose honor cannot

Be measur'd, or confin'd.

Gon.

Or be not, I'll not swear.

Pro.

Whether this be,

You do yet taste

Some subtilties o' the isle, that will not let you
Believe things certain :-Welcome, my friends all :—
But you, my brace of lords, were I so minded,

[Aside to SEB., and ANT

I here could pluck his highness' frown upon you,
And justify you traitors; at this time

I'll tell no tales.

Seb. The devil speaks in him.
Pro

No:

For you, most wicked sir, whom to call brother
Would even infect my mouth, I do forgive
Thy rankest fault; all of them; and require
My dukedom of thee, which, perforce, I know,
Thou must restore.

Alon.

If thou beest Prospero,

Give us particulars of thy preservation:

How thou hast met us here, who three hours since
Were wreck'd upon this shore; where I have lost,
How sharp the point of this remembrance is!

My dear son Ferdinand.

Pro.

I am woe for't, sir.

Alon. Irreparable is the loss; and patience Says it is past her cure.

Pro.

I rather think,

You have not sought her help; of whose soft grace
For the like loss, I have her sovereign aid,

And rest inyself content.

[Aside

Pro. As great to me, as late; and, supportable
To n.ake the dear loss, have I means much weaker
Than you may call to comfort you; for I
Have lost my daughter.

Alon.

A daughter?

O heavens! that they were living both in Naples,
The king and queen there! that they were, I wis11
Myself were mudded in that oozy bed

Where my son lies. When did you lose your daughter?
Pro. In this last tempest. I perceive, these lords
At this encounter do so much admire,

That they devour their reason; and scarce think
Their eyes do offices of truth, their words
Are natural breath: but, howsoe'er you have

Been jostled from your senses, know for certain,

That I am Prospero, and that very duke

Which was thrust forth of Milan; who most strangery,
Upon this shore, where you were wreck'd, was landed,
To be the lord on't. No more yet of this;
For 'tis a chronicle of day by day,

Not a relation for a breakfast, nor

Befitting this first meeting. Welcome, sir;
This cell's my court: here have I few attendants,
And subjects none abroad: pray you, look in.
My dukedom since you have given me again,
I will requite you with as good a thing;

At least bring forth a wonder, to content ye,
As much as me my dukedom.

The entrance of the Cell opens, and discovers FERDINAND and MIRANDA,

playing at chess.

Mira. Sweet lord, you play me false.

Fer.

I would not for the world.

No, my dearest love,

Mira. Yes, for a score of kingdoms you should wrangle, And I would call it fair play.

Alon.

If this prove

A vision of this island, one dear son

Fer. Though the seas threaten, they are merciful :

I have curs'd them without cause.

Alon.

Of a glad father compass thee about!
Arise, and say how thou cam'st here.

Mira.

[FERD. kneels to ALON.

Now all the blessings

O! wonder!

How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in't!

Pro. 'Tis new to thee.

Alon. What is this maid, with whom thou wast at play? Your eld'st acquaintance cannot be three hours:

Is she the goddess that hath sever❜d us,

And brought us thus together?

Fer.
Sir, she's mortal;
But, by immortal providence, she's mine;
I chose her, when I could not ask my father
For his advice; nor thought I had one: she
Is daughter to this famous Duke of Milan.
Of whom so often I have heard renown,
But never saw before; of whom I have
Received a second life, and second father
This lady makes him to me.

Alon.

I am hers: But O, how oddly will it sound, that I Must ask my child forgiveness!

Pro.

There, sir, stop;

Let us not burden our remembrances
With a heaviness that's gone.

Gon.

I have inly wept,

Or should have spoke ere this. Look down, you gods,
And on this couple drop a blessed crown;

For it is you, that have chalk'd forth the way

Which brought us hither!

Alon.

Give me your hands:

I say, Amen, Gonzalo !

[To FER. and MIR.

Be't so! Amen!

Let grief and sorrow still embrace his heart,

That doth not wish you joy!

Gon.

Re-enter ARIEL, with the Master and Boatswain amazedly following.

O look, sir, look, sir; here are more of us!

I prophesied, if a gallows were on land,

This fellow could not drown: Now, blasphemy,

Hast thou no mouth by land? What is the news?

Boats. The best news is, that we have safely found

Our king, and company; the next our ship,-
Which, but three glasses since, we gave out split,-
Is tight, and yare, and bravely rigg'd, as when‍
We first put out to sea.

Ari.

Have I done since I went.

Pro.

Sir, all this service

My tricksy spirit!

Alon. These are not natural events; they strengthen,
From strange to stranger :-Say, how came you hither?
Boats. If I did think, sir, I were well awake,

I'd strive to tell you. We were dead of sleep,
And (how, we know not) all clapp'd under hatches,

[Aside